The present disclosure generally relates to rock crushing equipment. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a cone crusher including a counterweight that allows the weight and mass of the counterweight to be modified to optimize performance.
Rock crushing systems, such as those referred to as cone crushers, generally break apart rock, stone or other material in a crushing gap between a stationary element and a moving element. For example, a conical rock crusher is comprised of a head assembly including a crushing head that gyrates about a vertical axis within a stationary bowl attached to a main frame of the rock crusher. The crushing head is assembled surrounding an eccentric that rotates about a fixed shaft to impart the gyrational motion of the crushing head which crushes rock, stone or other material in a crushing gap between the crushing head and the bowl. The eccentric can be driven by a variety of power drives, such as an attached gear, driven by a pinion and countershaft assembly, and a number of mechanical power sources, such as electrical motors or combustion engines.
The exterior of the conical crushing head is covered with a protective or wear-resistant mantle that engages the material that is being crushed, such as rock, stone, or minerals or other substances. The bowl which is mechanically fixed to the mainframe is fitted with a bowl liner. The bowl liner and bowl are stationary and spaced from the crushing head. The bowl liner provides an opposing surface from the mantle for crushing the material. The material is crushed in the crushing gap between the mantle and the bowl liner.
The gyrational motion of the crushing head with respect to the stationary bowl crushes, rock, stone or other material within the crushing gap. Generally, the rock, stone or other material is fed onto a feed plate that directs the material toward the crushing gap where the material is crushed as it travels through the crushing gap. The crushed material exits the cone crusher through the bottom of the crushing gap. The size of the crushing gap determines the maximum size of the crushed material that exits the crushing gap.
During operation of a cone crusher, the gyrational movement of the head assembly and mantle and the offset rotation of the eccentric create large, unbalanced forces that are offset by a counterweight assembly connected to the eccentric for rotation therewith. Currently available counterweights include areas of relatively high density material, such as lead, to provide as much mass as possible within a restricted area. Since the size of the counterweight assembly is dictated by the cone crusher, physical limitations exist if additional weight is required for the counterweight assembly.
Since the size of the counterweight assembly is restricted, a need exists for flexibility in adjusting the mass of the counterweight assembly while not increasing the size of the counterweight assembly as compared to currently available designs.